All She Couldn't Have
by artyfan
Summary: She shouldn't feel jealous...but she did.
1. Chapter 1

**I was bored, so I wrote a piece of crap and decided to post it. I know it'll be awful, but I wrote it in ten minutes, okay? I deleted it, but decided to repost it.**

Thalia had been her hero. From the time she was seven, Annabeth had worshipped her. Her dream had always been to be as good a fighter as Thalia and Luke were. Even untrained, they both possessed a raw grace that shone through in every movement.

When Thalia had turned into a pine tree, Annabeth had cried for weeks. Luke hadn't been much better, but he had stayed strong, comforted her when she wanted a hug. He had put up his mask during the day, but when he had slept, torment would twist his face beyond recognition. Annabeth had seen it. She would never forget it.

Luke had known her for much longer than Annabeth had. They had been running around the country together for two years. Annabeth had known them for maybe two months before Thalia ceased to be the brave, beautiful girl she had known. It was a curious thing, but she had managed to leave behind more of an impact on Annabeth's life more than anyone else had. She had missed her more than anyone else, loved her more than her father.

For the six years that Thalia had been inside her pine tree, Annabeth had gone down every day to look at it, to talk to her. She had never admitted it, not even to Luke or Chiron. That would make her seem weak, and that was the one thing she was determined not to be.

Annabeth loved Thalia. She always would. She had been ecstatic when her best friend had returned from what Annabeth considered a fate worse than death. Thalia was impossible not to love. Sometimes, Annabeth wished she wasn't. Because if she wasn't, Annabeth could hate her. It would make the pain so much more bearable.

She and Percy had gotten into a fight a few weeks before. She couldn't remember what it had been over. All she knew was that it had been something trivial. She had broken off their relationship. She regretted it.

She had told Percy once that he and Thalia would be either best friends or worst enemies. She had been wrong. They were more than best friends.

Percy and Thalia. Annabeth mulled over the thought as she walked, not sure where she was going. At first, they seemed too similar to possibly match. After all, didn't opposites attract? But when she thought about it, why wouldn't they work? Thalia and Percy had both been to hell and back, respectively. They both had had to fend off monsters in the real world alone, without training, before they managed to get to Camp Half Blood. They had both lost nearly everything they held close to them. Annabeth could sympathize with them, but she couldn't hope to understand.

The sky and the sea. Zeus and Poseidon.

Their fathers were rivals. They didn't trust each other. Percy and Thalia's story was like Romeo and Juliet, the tale of a forbidden love. There was nothing sweeter than the taste of the forbidden.

Annabeth laughed quietly, bitterly. If she had said that out loud, and if Thalia had heard her, she would be dead. She had gotten Thalia to read the famous play once before. She had absolutely hated it, and she had been happy to tell Annabeth why. She would not appreciate being compared to Juliet.

Thalia, the rebellious, determined teenager who had hid behind her hard mask for years, only revealing her softer side to the people she really loved. Luke, Annabeth...and now Percy. Always beautiful without even noticing, let alone caring. Thalia.

Annabeth had a lot. She was grateful for it. She had a loving family, talent with a knife, intelligence, a calling in life. But she couldn't have what she really wanted.

Thalia had lost everything and everyone at various points in her life. Her mother, her best friend, six years of her life. But she had Percy. And no matter how strong Annabeth's love for Thalia was, she couldn't help but feel jealous.

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I decided I would do just one more chapter. Sometimes clichés are fun to write.**

"Thalia! Wait up," Annabeth called, her stomach twisting into knots. Thalia consented to pause, turning to face Annabeth, who jogged the few steps to reach her friend.

Thalia's thin lips curved into a smile, revealing her even, pearly teeth. Apparently, she had just come from sword practice, because her sword belt was wrapped around her narrow waist and her sword sheath hung at her left hip. "Hey, Annabeth. What's up?"

Annabeth swallowed hard, shaking her head so that her blonde curls obscured her face. Normally, she didn't like to speak to someone unless she could look them in the eye. Not now, not for this conversation.

"Thalia..." Annabeth's voice trailed out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Thalia. You know I still like Percy."

It wasn't a question, but Thalia still nodded. Her electric blue eyes were intent, serious. The brooding air was gone. It had been ever since she had started to go out with Percy. "Yeah, I know."

Annabeth felt icicles coating the inside of her stomach, but she reached out and took Thalia's hand, noting with some shock that it was smaller than hers now. Thalia's skin was like ivory against the deep tan of Annabeth's. Annabeth gave the other girl's hand a gentle squeeze.

"You've given up everything for me before," she said softly, her voice strained. She had to struggle to force the words past the lump in her throat. Annabeth pointed toward the pine at the crest of Half Blood hill. "You were willing to die for me. You deserve to be happy. You deserve Percy more than I do."

Annabeth swallowed again. When she spoke again, her voice was strong, clear. "Friends come first."


End file.
